Our objective is to evaluate the antibacterial and antioxidant activity of ethanolic extracts of Plectranthus mollis (P.mollis) and Salvia officinalis (S. officinalis) leaves locally used for treatment of microbial infection in Nilgiris of India. Antibacterial activity was determined by using agar diffusion and broth dilution methods against seven microorganisms. The antioxidant potential was a...

The passive elastic properties of the mantle of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis have been characterized in experiments on intact mantle and on pieces cut from the mantle. The mantle was found to be very compliant over a wide range of circumferential strains, corresponding to a change in mantle circumferential strain of 0.45. Beyond this range of strain, the mantle was much stiffer, in both the...

Cephalopod mollusks including octopus and cuttlefish are adept at adaptive camouflage, varying their appearance to suit the surroundings. This behavior allows unique access into the vision of a non-human species because one can ask how these animals use spatial information to control their coloration pattern. There is particular interest in factors that affect the relative levels of expression ...

Cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, commonly use their visually-guided, rapid adaptive camouflage for multiple tactics to avoid detection or recognition by predators. Two common tactics are background matching and resembling an object (masquerade) in the immediate area. This laboratory study investigated whether cuttlefish preferentially camouflage themselves to resemble a three-dimensional (3D) obj...

Abstract: Hydroxyapatite, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, has been widely investigated for medical purposes because it is suitable for either direct clinical use as implants or tissue-engineering applications. In this work materials were successfully produced via hydrothermal transformation of aragonite, obtained from fresh cuttlefish bones, at 200°C and high pressures. Beyond low production cost, worldwide a...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy and safety of Melissa officinalis extract using a fixed dose (60 drops/day) in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. DESIGN A four month, parallel group, placebo controlled trial undertaken in three centres in Tehran, Iran. METHODS Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease aged between 65 and 80 years (n = 42; 18 women, 24 men) with a ...

Changes in seawater carbonate chemistry that accompany ongoing ocean acidification have been found to affect calcification processes in many marine invertebrates. In contrast to the response of most invertebrates, calcification rates increase in the cephalopod Sepia officinalis during long-term exposure to elevated seawater pCO2. The present trial investigated structural changes in the cuttlebo...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aims of the present study were to determine and compare the effects of different concentrations of Althaea officinalis extract, 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX), and penicillin on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS The laboratory study was done, for a period of 8 weeks. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in the test tube, min...